I have a suspicion that eliminating the throttle plate won't cut pumping losses, if it's done by manipulating valve timing, cuz then the restriction that the piston sees on the downward stroke would be caused by the intake valve. However if Toyota is doing something else then good.
BTW my friend has an old Starlet- the car is a totally rotted out, smashed up, beaten to a pulp POS with an estimated 400,000 miles on it, but that engine still sounds like a sewing machine at idle!
